Plug for cleaning condenser tubes



June 15 1926. 1,588,765

M- MANNION ET AL PLUG FOR CLEANING CONDENSER TUBES Filed Feb. 14, 1923 Patented June 15, 1926;...

iJNi'i'ED STATES MARTIN MANNION, O31 PERTH AMBOY, NEVJ JERSEY, AND ROBERT C. ARTHUR, 0F TOTTENYILLE, NEW YORK.

PLUG FOR CLEANING CONDENSER TUBES. 7

Application filed February 14, 1923. Serial No. 619,061.

This invention relates to method of and apparatus for cleaning tubes and has for an object to provide a device to be operated by the use of compressed air or other fluid underpressure which will be forced through the tube in improved manner to remove the scale or other deposits from the interior of the tubes.

A further object of the invention is to employ a disk of relatively yieldable, elastic or flexible material with means for holding the disk with its general plane transverse to the axis of the tube and employing fluid pressure at the rear of'thedisk for not only forcing the disk through the tube but to expand the disk into scraping and cleaning relation with the interior surface of the tube.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device to be operated manually by the use of compressed'fluid, comprising a body of some type which will serve as a guide in passing through the tube with one or more disks at one or both ends of said tube slightly larger in diameter than the interior of the tube resulting in a dishing of the disk as it is manually initially inserted in the tube and held with its general plane transverse to the axis of the tube and applying fluid pressure at the rear or concave side to force the disk and guide through the tube and at the same time tending to expand the disk to its initial plane condition to force the perimeter of said disk against the inner surface of the tube to scrape the tube in its passage as impelled by the fluid under pres sure.

To this end for carrying out the method and providing an apparatus therefor, and with these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain steps in the method and certain units, elements, parts, combinations and functions in the apparatus as disclosed in the drawings, together with mechanical and functional equivalents thereof as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vieu partly in side elevation and partly in approximately diametrical section of one embodiment of the p r us ends with an intervening substantially cylindrical portion.

Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of an embodiment of the invention similar to Figure 1, having the tapered part of the guide embraced by a tapered ferrule, the edge of which at the greater diameter serves as an additional scraper.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment of the invention having a body similar t6 that shown at Figure 1 but employing only a single disk.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment employing a body or guide portion substantially cylindrical throughout its len 'th.

Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment having a body cylindrical throughout the greater portion of its length and terminating at one or both ends in necks connecting with the disk.

Fig. 8 is a view largely diagrammatic, showing a tube in diametrical section with one of the cleanersinserted therein with a manually controlled air valve inserted in the end of the tube in position to force the cleaner through the tube in cleaning relation.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The cleaning of tubes as ordinarily accomplished is by means of some cleaning implement connected with or carried upon the end of a rod or the like which is forced through the tube by means of such rod or the like manually or otherwise cleaning the interior of the tube in its passage. This method of cleaning tubes is slow in operation, requiring also considerable space in front of the end of the tube for manipulation which must usually be accomplished by removing the head or other enclosing struc ture. In the present invention the tube cleaned by forcing through the tube by air pressure or other convenient fluid under pressure, a disk larger in diameter than the diameter of the tube having means for maintaining the disk with its general plane transverse to the axis of the tube, permitting preferably the dishing of the disk as it is initially and manually inserted in one end of the tube with the concave side-toward the operator. The air pressure is now applied at the end of the tube into which the device has been inserted impinging against the disk in its concavity tending to expand-the disk by forcing the edges into frictional and therefore scraping engagement with the in teriorof'the tube. The: air pressureis-sueh that it producesnot only this tendency. but also forces the device as an entity through the tube. Preferably two of'the'disks will be employed so. that in 'case the encounter 'of' an immovableobstruction tendingto interrupt the air tight relation of the disk with the tube, another disk is provided-for retainingthe air pressure and continuing the movement through the tube.

With this endin view the device will preferably.v though not necessarily, comprise central body portion slightly smaller than the diameter of the tube with end' disks slightly larger than the body and also slightly larger. than the-tube.

At Figure 1 the body-is shown as provided. with a cylindriealipart l and tapered extremities 11; To this body disks-12'are attached in theform of washers which may he composcdof leatheryrubber or any other yieldable, elastic or flexible material.

For economy of-construetion the body may be of wood: and the disks 12secured' thereto by any approved type-of penetrating member as indicated. conventionally at 13.

At 2 the body is shown as provided with a-plurality of grooves 14:. 'foi'n'iing ribs-- which coincide withthe maximum circumference of-the body. These ribs are preferably spirally positionedrelative to the body tending not only to serve as scraping members but also tending to rotate the de vice as an entity as it is forced through the tube.

At Fig. 3 the body part and disk parts are indicated as formed, castor-molde'd as an entity or integral structure and may therefore be produced from rubber or any material which willserve the purpose of'providing disks of relative or appropriate flexibility and a body for maintaining. the proper planar relation of thedisks to the tube.

At Fig. l the'ta-pered part llofthe body is shown ascovered with a tapered ferrule. 16. In-the-case of the use of-th-isaferrule the body may be sl' 1 tly-smalleri'rela tively than in I the-types :previously referrech to so that the larger or wider end will present at 17 a scraping edge.

At Fig. the body portion is shown as provided with only a single disk 12. In the asset a device so constructed, the end 18, which is unprovided with a disk, would be first inserted in the tube tending to serve as aguide for the disk following, forced through by the fluid under pressure.

At Fig. 6 the body 19 is shown as substantially cylindrical throughout and slightly smaller in diameter than the disk 12t seeuredthereto by the penetrating member 13. This GHIlOOCliIDBIlt is used the same as einbodin ient shown at i 5.

At Fig. -7 abody 20is indicated having a neck-21 with a disk-IQ" which is shown as indicating that-this disk may be integral or attached to thebody20, the novelty of this embodiment residi-ngin' the neekEZl interposed between the body and the diskirrespective of integrality.

At Fig. 8 'aconventional showing of the use of the device' discloses-a tube 22 with tube sheet 23 with thecleanerde'vice of any of' thetypesshown at Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive. being comprehended in the device shown at Qetfiinthis diagrammaticview; A nozzle for delivering air or other: fluid under pressure is inserted in the'end of the tube: manually controlled, such nozzle being indicated eonventionally at 25 with a conventional type of'i man-ual' control-being shown at26, beingunderstood that the invention either as to method or apparatus is in no way limited to specific features-shown in-Fig. 8;

It will be readilyunderstood that the device. of any of the' several specific types indicated at 24 will bc'introduced into one end of :the tubeQQand by reason of the fact that the disks are of slightly greater diame ter than-the tube th e' sai'd' disks wvill assume dished shapes as; indicated in said figure with th'e'concave sides'of'the disk directed toward'the end of insertion;

Theair nozzle=is now applied'to the end of the tubemaking a substantially airtight lit therewith 'b y'rea'sou of its=taper or otherw-iseand the valve 26 manipulated to'introduce' airin'to the tube against-the concave side of the nearest disk. The air pressure tends to simultaneouslyforce the device as an organizedstructure through the'tube and to" expand the: diskor disks whereby the disks engage with considerablefriction the interior surface of'the tube'a'ndinp'assing. scrape the deposit therefrom, carryingzit through to the oppositeend.

e "claim 1. An apparatus for cleaning tubes comprising a. body portion taperedtoward its ends, flanges arranged at the ends ofsaid body portion, and a snugly fittingxferrule ca-rriedvby one of ;the tapered: ends-of the body portion and having a portioniprojec't ing beyond the periphery of the body portion.

2. An apparatus for cleaning tubes comprising a body portion tapered toward its ends, flanges arranged at the ends of said body portion, and a ferrule snugly fitting about one of the tapered ends of the body portion and having one of its ends abutting of the body portion.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures.

MARTIN MANNION. ROBERT C. ARTHUR. 

